U.S. new-home construction rebounded in October to the fastest pace in a year, partly reflecting recovery efforts in the hurricane-stricken South, government figures showed Friday. A pickup in permit applications for one- family dwellings indicates building will remain firm in coming months.
HIGHLIGHTS OF HOUSING STARTS (OCTOBER)
Key Takeaways
The report showed building permits for single-family homes improved in October to an 839,000 annualized pace, the fastest since September 2007. Construction spending, which subtracted from gross domestic product in the second and third quarters, may add to U.S. economic growth in the final three months of 2017 on the heels of rebuilding efforts.
New construction in the southern U.S. rose 17.2 percent, the most since January, including the biggest gain for single-family starts since July 2014. Areas in the South were hit particularly hard in September by hurricanes Harvey and Irma, which caused flooding and delayed beginning home construction. Activity typically rebounds in later months as rebuilding efforts begin in the affected regions.
A gauge of homebuilders’ confidence surged in November to an eight-month high, indicating optimism about the outlook amid sustained demand, boosted by the steady job market and relatively low mortgage costs.
At the same time, the industry is dealing with a shortage of workers, higher materials prices and difficulty finding ready- to-build lots. Economists expect residential construction will keep expanding gradually.
Other Details
Groundbreaking on multifamily buildings, such as apartments and condominiums, climbed to an annual rate of 413,000; these monthly data typically experience large swings
Content is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc. or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. If you would like to reproduce or redistribute any of the content found on MarketPulse, an award winning forex, commodities and global indices analysis and news site service produced by OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc., please access the RSS feed or contact us at info@marketpulse.com. Visit https://www.marketpulse.com/ to find out more about the beat of the global markets. © 2023 OANDA Business Information & Services Inc.